The Homeless World Cup was first held in Austria in 2003, after the idea was conceived by several editors attending a conference for the International Network of Street Papers in 2001. Street newspapers (with content partially written by, edited by, and sold by homeless people) have existed since the 19th century, but the modern movement of the genre can be said to have begun with the publishing of "Street News" in New York City in 1989. Soon many other imitators in the United...
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The Homeless World Cup was first held in Austria in 2003, after the idea was conceived by several editors attending a conference for the International Network of Street Papers in 2001. Street newspapers (with content partially written by, edited by, and sold by homeless people) have existed since the 19th century, but the modern movement of the genre can be said to have begun with the publishing of "Street News" in New York City in 1989. Soon many other imitators in the United States and abroad began publishing, with the aim of not only advocating for homeless issues and raising awareness on the growing homeless problem, but also giving the homeless some way of supporting themselves and fostering a sense of community.

It is with these same ideals that the Homeless World Cup was founded, but on a global scale. While it has many critics saying that the soccer tournament has nothing to do with curing homelessness, it has regardless gathered much attention to the issue and on an individual basis succeeds in changing the lives of some of it participants.
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